Improvement in boots and shoes



V. K. SPEAR.

Boots and Shoes.

No.128,984. Patentedluly16,1872.

Wltnasses, 1 Vivian K [52mm $1 53 455mg 04" @nm J UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

VIVIAN K. SPEAR, OF LYNN MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOOTS AND SHOES;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 128,984, dated July 16,1872.

Specification describing a certain Improvement in the Manufacture ofBoots and Shoes, invented by VIVIAN K. SPEAR, of Lynn, Essex county,Massachusetts.

It is well known that in leveling up the outer sole of a boot to form afoundation for the heel, a narrow strip of leather called the rand isemployed, which is skived thin at its inner edge to conform to theconvex surface of the said sole, such strip of leather being crimpedinto a semicircular form about the edge of the heel portion of the soleand nailed thereto preparatory to the addition of the heel.

Several difficulties have been heretofore encountered in the productionand application of the rand to a boot 0r shoe. First, in many instancesa thick piece of leather is necessary to overcome the curvature of thesole, and it is a difficult matter to obtain a piece of leather of therequisite thickness which shall be sufficiently fine grained and solidto be built into a heel. Second, owing to the rapidity with which bootsand shoes are manufactured and the small width of the thicker portion ofthe leather rand, the nailing of the same to the sole is veryimperfectly accomplished, and it frequently becomes misplaced andprotrudes beyond the surface of the heel. Thirdly, considerable time isrequisite in which to crimp in and adapt the rand to the form of thesole and nail it thereto.

It has been attempted to remedy these dif ficulties by producing aformed rand lift or heel seat of vulcanized rubber, but this' is alsoobjectionable for the reason that the rub ber does not harmonize withthe rest of the heel, will not take and retain the requisite polish, isnot well adapted to receive the after treatment required to finish theshoe, and is, besides this, expensive.

My present invention avoids all these objections by producing a moldedor formed rand of leather board, as part and parcel of a lift oftheheel,-concave on one side to adapt itself to the convexity of thesole and flat upon The drawing accompanying this specificat1onrepresents in Figure 1 a perspective View,

and in Fig. 2 a section of my invention, which I term, for convenience,a rand-lift.

produce a lift, A, flat upon one side, as shown at a, and ooncave.uponthe other, as shown at b, the outline or contour of such liftcorresponding to that of the heel portion of the outer sole of the bootor shoe destined to receive it, the flat face of the lift being toreceive the next succeeding lift of the heel and the concave portion, asbefore stated, to conform the convex surface of the sole.

The rand-lift above described is made of leather board, and the requiredshape is imparted to it by being molded or pressed by dies into shape. f

There is thus produced a rand-lift of leather board which possesses thefollowing advantages: Being of the nature of leather it wears with thesame surface and always presents the same appearance as leather, whichis not the case with other substances, especially rubber. Like leatherit takes a polish from blacking, whereas rubber, as is well known, isvery objectionable on this account. It is very light and also strong. Itis very cheap, much more so than rubber. It can be manufactured orshaped by molding very expeditiously and economically. In fine, arand-lift is produced which, while having to all intents of leather,possesses others'which leather has not, but which are needed for the useto which the rand-lift is to be put.

The leather board can be molded like papier-mach, possesses allrequisite flexibility,

leather, and it harmonizes perfectly with the remainder of the heel.

The rand-lift thus acquired and formed is to be added to the heel andmade up with it, and thus constitute part of it, for, although it mightbe applied to the sole individually, the most economical method would beto add it to the heel as one of its lifts, for the reason fj at it couldbe done so without expense and JLe' applied to the sole as a part of theheel.

The cost of the rand-lift which constitutes this invention, is less thanthat of the present leather rand. As it is in one entire plate it Incarrying my invention-into practice I M and purposes, in thisconnection, the qualities and yet its external appearanceis that of mustof necessity be securely nailed to the sole A molded or formed rand-liftof leatherand cannot become misplaced, and by its emboard, substantiallyas and for the purposes ployment I economize the time required to hereindescribed.

crimp and tack on the leather rand to the sole. W VIVIAN K. SPEAR.

itnesses:

Claim. F. CURTIS,

I claim as my invention WV. E. BOARDMAN.

